


Link to the Past Skywalker Chronicles

by PhantomPhan16



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-16 10:54:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5825806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomPhan16/pseuds/PhantomPhan16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mother's choice changes a son's destiny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Firmus Skywalker

**Author's Note:**

> What if Shmi didn't give Firmus up and raised him herself? This is not the story of Firmus Piett, this is the story of Firmus Skywalker.

Anakin Skywalker's focus was pulled away from his stepbrother, Owen Lars, when a signature in the Force swept over his senses. He turned to see a boy about ten standard years. The child was clutching a toy model of a Jedi starfighter, similar to Obi-Wan's. His big, brown eyes stared into his own blue ones for a moment, then he looked at Owen.

"Did they find Mom?"

Owen sighed as Anakin felt shock seize him as well as confusion. Did no one know where his mother was? Who was this boy that called Shmi 'Mom'?

"No, Firmus. They haven't found her yet."

Beru hurried over to console the boy, who looked ready to cry at Owen's words.

"Firmus, this is Anakin."

Firmus perked up a little and went over to the Padawan.

"Mom told me a lot about you."

Anakin swallowed and looked at Owen, Padme doing the same.

"Anakin, this is Firmus, your younger brother," Owen said.

"Isn't he your brother as well?" Padme asked.

"Just by marriage. His father was someone named Qui-Gon Jinn."

Anakin felt the blood drain from his face at that announcement, and Padme gasped beside him. Beru sent Firmus off to find someone, though neither Padawan or Senator heard what she said to the boy.

"Do you know his father?" she asked, seeing their pale faces.

"We did. Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi Master. He's the one who freed Anakin, but he died a few days later fighting to free my homeworld, Naboo."

Owen and Beru exchanged looks, and all four adults looked back in the direction Firmus had gone. As if summoned by their thoughts, the boy returned, followed by an older man in a hoverchair, missing his right leg.

"You're Anakin, Shmi's oldest?"

The young Jedi nodded and shook the man's hand.

"Cliegg Lars. Shmi is my wife."

"Where is she?" Anakin asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

Cliegg glanced at Firmus.

"Firmus, come help me make lunch."

"Okay, Beru. Race you to the kitchen!"

The boy took off running with Beru following.

Cliegg looked back up at Anakin.

"Lets go inside and talk."

Inside, he and Padme listened in horror. Shmi had been taken a month ago by a group of Tusken Raiders. Attempting to rescue her was how Cliegg had lost his leg, and many other farmers had been killed during the attempt as well.

"We've been holding out hope for a long as we can, but those Tuskens are like animals. They don't know mercy or compassion."

The farmer looked towards the kitchen and sighed heavily.

"It'll break him when we tell him she's not coming back. If his father hadn't gone-"

"Qui-Gon had no choice, Mr. Lars. He wasn't from here nor could he stay. Firmus' father was a Jedi Master."

Cliegg looked like Padme had just hit him.

"A Jedi?"

Both of them nodded.

"He's strong in the Force. I can sense it," Anakin said.

"Are you going to take him?" Owen asked.

Padme looked at Anakin, wondering that herself, but he shook his head.

"No. The Council barely made the exception for me to be trained They'd never let Firmus be trained. He's too old. I didn't like that rule when I started, but with how far behind I was, how much I had to learn over a short period of time, I understand why they want people brought in a younger ages. He belongs here with his family."

Anakin looked at Cliegg.

"With your permission, sir, I'd like to write to him, though, and perhaps my Jedi Master, Obi-Wan, as well. He was Qui-Gon's apprentice, just as I am his, so he'll have plenty of stories to tell about him. It might help Firmus to learn about his father."

All eyes turned back to Cliegg, who sat in his chair, thinking. After a few moments he nodded.

"All right. He deserves to know about the man."


	2. Obi-Wan's Letter and Pictures

Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't think he could be more shocked than if Qui-Gon Jinn appeared in front of him.

"Anakin, you must be mistaken."

"I'm not, Master. It makes sense. He's the right age, he's strong in the Force, he seemed familiar the very moment I saw him, and I could see them both in him. Cliegg couldn't have been his father, he and Mom didn't know each other when Firmus was born."

The Knight frowned at his apprentice.

"It could have been any human man."

"I figured you'd say that, so I took a blood sample to test his midichlorian level and run a DNA test to find his parents."

He handed Obi-Wan the results. He glanced over the boy's name and age to get to the midichlorian count and the parents.

**Midichlorian Count: 18,562**

**Mother: Shmi Skywalker-Lars**

**Father: Qui-Gon Jinn**

Obi-Wan stared at his late mentor's name, shock taking him practically by the throat. Qui-Gon... had a son. He looked up at Anakin, a little pale.

"He barely knows anything about him, Master. I told him I would write to him and that I would ask you to write to him about Master Qui-Gon."

"Firmus, there's a letter for you." Firmus scampered over and took the datapad.

"Thank you, Beru."

He went to his room to read it.

_Firmus, you don't know me, but my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm your brother, Anakin's, teacher. Your father, Qui-Gon Jinn, was my teacher. Until today I had no idea he had a son. Had he lived and found out about you, I'm sure he would have broken all the rules among the Jedi so he could be in your life. Perhaps one day you and I will meet, and I can tell you some stories about him in person. For now, writing will have to do. Along with this letter, I sent a collection of pictures of him, as many as I could find. Some are of him as an apprentice with his own teacher, some with his others apprentice, some with me, and some of him by himself. I hope you like them, and don't worry, I labeled them so you'll know which person he is if he's not alone. Next letter I promise to have some stories for you. May the Force be with you. Obi-Wan Kenobi_

Beru came in with the small, handheld projector.

"Firmus, this is for you as well."

He took it and switched it on. The very first image was of a tall human male and a boy a little older than him. The inserted text read, _Master Tyln Dooku and Padawan Qui-Gon Jinn_. He remembered Anakin explained the rather odd hairstyle he had been sporting as the human male style for Jedi apprentices, or Padawans. Suddenly wanting to share this gift, Firmus hurried to the sitting room, Beru following.

Owen and Cliegg couldn't refuse him, and so the family gathered around the projector.

Qui-Gon was grinning, while Dooku, a stern looking man, smiled down at him, a hand on his shoulder. The second image was the two of them again, covered in so sort of gunk that no one even wanted to attempt to guess what exactly it was. Qui-Gon was looking sheepishly up at Dooku, who was scowling down at him. The third was of a grown Qui-Gon with Dooku looking proudly at him. Qui-Gon no longer had the braid behind his ear. Anakin had explained that when a Padawan became a Jedi Knight the braid was cut off. Through the years they went, watching Qui-Gon change and age. The last image was of him, his apprentice, Obi-Wan they had realized, and a young human boy.

Firmus went to bed that night with the projector and letter close by. He dreamed of what life might have been like had he known his father. The Lars Homestead had a visitor that night, however. He was silent, and while he glowed, cast no light. His bluish, transparent form stood over the sleeping child, his face wise, kind, and very sad. He longed to speak to the boy, the touch him, yet, as of right now, he could not. His son was not yet aware of the Force or the power within him. He slept on, completely unaware of his father's spirit standing over him.

Qui-Gon watched his son through the night, seeing the child's dreams through the Force. Shmi joined him after a time, and together they drank in the sight of their son until the light of dawn began to come over the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan send Firmus a letter and pictures of Qui-Gon, and Qui and Shmi spend the night watching over their son, the son only one of them ever got to hold.


	3. Dooku's Gift

"Firmus sent letters, Master."

Obi-Wan didn't look up from his reading.

"That's nice, Anakin."

"You're not interested?"

"Not really. He's _your_ brother."

The Padawan smirked.

"So I guess that means I can read the one he sent you."

The Knight looked up abruptly and flew at his apprentice, who laughed and held out the datapad in self-defense. Obi-Wan snatched it then swatted Anakin with it for good measure.

"Cheeky brat."

"Aww, you love it, Master. I make life interesting."

"You certainly do that, my apprentice."

They both settled down to read their letters.

_Dear Obi-Wan, thank you for the pictures. Mom used to describe him to me, but seeing him is something else. I can't wait for the stories you'll send me in the next letter like you promised. I really hope I get to meet you someday. You looked nice in your pictures with Dad. I hope when we meet Anakin is there, too. He was really nice to me but really sad about Mom. I'd like to see him be happy. If it's not too much to ask, if he's still around, maybe you could ask Dad's teacher, Master Dooku, for some stories too. I bet he has some you don't know about. I want to learn all that I can about him. May the Force be with you. Sincerely, Firmus Skywalker_

Obi-Wan snorted, making Anakin look up from his letter.

"What?"

"He thinks Dooku is still a Jedi and wants me to ask him for stories about Qui-Gon."

Now Anakin snorted.

"Yeah, like that would ever happen."

"A letter for you, sir."

"Thank you, Terra. You may go now."

The maid bowed and left his study. Count Tyln Dooku picked up the datapad.

_Count Dooku, it's rather strange writing to you after Geonosis, but I feel I must. If you care about Qui-Gon at all, it might interest you to know that shortly before he died he fathered a son._

Dooku stopped reading and reread that line. He reread it a second time and then a third time. Qui-Gon had a son?

_The boy's name is Firmus, but for his safety I will not tell you his last name or his home-planet. Anakin discovered him and revealed him to me. I wrote to him and sent him pictures of Qui-Gon, some of which were from his Padawan days and included you. Firmus wrote back to me requesting stories since he knows next to nothing about Qui-Gon. He wanted me to ask you to write more stories, stories that even I would not know. I dismissed the idea at first, but I realized that it wouldn't be fair to the boy. If you choose to do this, send your letters to me on Coruscant, and I will send them to Firmus with my own. I will read your letters and erase anything I do not think he should know or any questions that answering could put him in danger. This boy is Qui-Gon's legacy, he deserves to know of the father who never got to know about him. Obi-Wan Kenobi_

The Count reread the letter once more then sat thinking. A son. Qui-Gon's son. Conceived just before his death. That would make the child recently ten standard years. No doubt the child was strong in the Force, and since he had obviously been unknown to the Jedi, he was not living on a Republic world. However, since _he_ hadn't known about the child, he wasn't living on a Seperatist world either.

Kenobi had refused to tell him the boy's last name, which meant that he did not have Qui-Gon's name. He scanned the letter for his first name. Firmus. He ran the name through his mind over and over. Had he lived and discovered his child, Qui-Gon no doubt would have left the Order to help the woman raise his son. His thoughts hinged on the woman, the mother. He wondered just what kind of woman she was to have captured Qui-Gon's attention so.

"Firmus, the letters are here," Owen called.

Firmus was practically a blur as he snatched the three datapads and a small package from his stepbrother and charged back into his room. Leaping onto his bed, he turned them on and found the unfamiliar writing first.

_Firmus, I am Tyln Dooku, your father's Jedi Master. While I am no longer a Jedi, Master Kenobi contacted me about you. I will admit that learning about you was a shock. Your father was my first apprentice, and though I have many regrets, training him, knowing him was not one of them. Your father left as much of an imprint on me as I did on him. I know that had he lived to know you he would have loved you. It was his way. He had a big heart, one that I cautioned him to guard, but you no doubt would have dominated a vast part of it. In the package is something Qui-Gon gave me long ago on the day he was Knighted. When he was still my apprentice we went to his homeworld, and he took two stones from a river there. One I believe is now in Master Kenobi's possession, but the other he had made into two pendants for necklaces. On the day he was Knighted he gave me one of the necklaces and kept the other. His was cremated along with him. Upon learning about you, I fished mine from my closet, as I think you should have it. Take good care of it, and I promise to have some stories for you in my next letter. May the Force be with you. Count Tyln Dooku_

Firmus opened the package, and inside lay a silver necklace with a teardrop shaped pendant. It was deep, vivid blue. The boy admired it then put it on. It hung very low, but it had been made to be long even on a fully grown man, so he didn't think much of it. He went on to read Obi-Wan's letter, which told him the story of how the Jedi had become Qui-Gon's apprentice and their first few missions together. Anakin's letter told him of how he and Qui-Gon had meet in Mos Espa and he had offered him and his companions shelter from a sandstorm.

Firmus drank it all in, his fingers occasionally straying to the stone pendant. A generous, thoughtful gift from a man he didn't even know. Each story was a gift, and he would never tire of these letters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dooku makes his appreance, and it seems he still cares for Qui-Gon. I always got that feel whenever I watched 'Attack of the Clones' that when he mentions Qui-Gon there's just something sad about Dooku.


	4. Choice

Three years of letters, of stories. Firmus eagerly collected his most recent letters. Anakin always wrote to him, though they hardly spoke of Qui-Gon since the now Jedi Knight hadn't known him for very long. Dooku's letter was the final story the Count had to offer. It was of the last time he and Qui-Gon saw each other before the Master's death on Naboo. Finishing it, Firmus picked up Obi-Wan's. It held only bad news. Count Dooku was dead, killed in a battle over Coruscant.

Soon after that the letters stopped all together. Firmus worried about Anakin and Obi-Wan. One evening a man arrived at the homestead with a baby. He introduced himself as Obi-Wan and told them that the baby was Anakin's son, Luke. When Beru asked about Anakin, he sadly informed them that the Jedi Order had been betrayed and destroyed, and Anakin was among the dead.

They invited Obi-Wan to stay for the night since it was too late for him to make it back to town before dark.

"You're not serious!"

Firmus groggily sat up at Owen's yelled. He got up and left his room to go see what his stepbrother was yelling about.

"I'm completely serious. He is in danger so long as Vader, and by extension, the Emperor know where he is, and it will put Luke in danger as well," Obi-Wan was saying calmly.

Peering around the corner into the sitting room, Firmus saw Owen on his feet, glaring at a still sitting Obi-Wan. Beru was off to the side, no doubt wondering if she needed to intervene.

"You said it was safe because he'd never look here."

"Not for Luke, but he knows Firmus is here and that he is strong in the Force. Vader may still come here, either to take Firmus and train him as a Sith or to destroy him to prevent him from possibly becoming a Jedi."

Owen's face turned an angry red.

"He is not becoming a Jedi! Anakin said he was too old."

"That was before the Jedi Order was all but wiped from existence. Now we are few and cannot let the Code dictate who is trained."

"I won't allow it," Owen growled.

Obi-Wan didn't seem phased by Owen's anger.

"I'm not saying you won't ever see him. I would bring him back here everyday, I just think he would be safer living with me should he be sought out. Luke can be passed off as your son, but Vader knows about Firmus already. He is in the most danger."

Beru stepped forward, putting a calming hand on Owen's arm.

"Why don't we left Firmus decide? We'll bring it up to him in the morning."

"Beru-"

"If living with Obi-Wan would mean Firmus was safe from this new Empire, why should we jeopardize his safety just to keep him here with us?"

"You would still have guardianship of him, he would just be staying with me. I would bring him here everyday unless something prevented me, be it weather or if one of us was sick."

Owen sighed.

"We'll talk to him in the morning then, but I don't want you filling his head with ideas about Jedi, Sith, and all that nonsense."

Obi-Wan gave a small smile.

"Those ideas are no doubt already in his head from all the stories about his father. However, unless he outright asks me to train him, I will not do so."

"Good enough I suppose."

Firmus hurried back to his room and lay thinking. It seemed like going with Obi-Wan would not only mean that he would be safe from whoever this Vader person was but so would Owen, Beru, and his new nephew, Luke. The Jedi had said he would be brought back to the homestead everyday unless something kept them from coming. His choice made, the boy fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we reach the end of the prequels. There will be a timeskip in the next chapter taking us into the originals.


	5. Loss of Home

Firmus entered the dining room for breakfast. Luke was being fed with baby formula by Beru.

"Firmus, sit down. There's something we need to discuss."

He sat down and caught Obi-Wan's knowing look.

"Don't bother, Owen. He heard it last night."

Owen and Beru looked sternly at him, and he shifted in his seat guiltily.

"Firmus, you know how we feel about eavesdropping."

"I'm sorry."

Owen sighed softly.

"Well then, since you already know what we're going to ask you I won't bother saying it all again. We're not going to push you into a choice."

"Of course not. While I have a place picked out, it must be cleaned out and fixed up before it can be comfortably lived in. If you choose to stay with me, you wouldn't come live with me until the house is ready."

The boy felt some relief that the Jedi wasn't going to press the issue if he said 'no'.

"What will you do if I say 'no'?" he asked, just to make sure.

"I won't force you, but I can tell you already came to that conclusion yourself. If you say 'no' I'll simply keep a close eye on you for your own safety. I'll keep an eye on the homestead anyway for all your sakes, but if you choose to stay that is your right. There is no right or wrong choice, young one," Obi-Wan told him kindly.

Firmus met Obi-Wan's steady blue-gray gaze.

"Will you come visit and tell me more about my father if I say 'no'?"

"If you want me to, however I sense you've already made your choice."

He nodded, and Owen and Beru waited.

"I'll go with you. If it's the safest choice for everyone, I'll do it. I'll be coming back to visit, right?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"Everyday, unless something keeps us at the house. Before anything else is discussed, I must bring this up. As Anakin may have said when he was here, you are strong in the Force, Firmus. The Force is what makes a Jedi a Jedi. In telling you about Qui-Gon I will have to explain things about the Force and Jedi so what I tell you makes sense to you, but unless you ask me directly, I will not train you. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The Jedi smiled.

"Just Obi-Wan will do."

_Nineteen years later..._

A lone speeder bike streaked across the desert towards the Lars Homestead. Pulling up near the house, the pilot went inside.

"Owen? Beru? Luke?"

"Firmus?" came Beru's voice from the kitchen.

Firmus, now thirty-two, a trained Jedi and bounty-hunter to keep the Empire off his tracks, went into the kitchen. His brown hair was long and tied back into a pony-tail at the base of his neck, his face was scruffy with stubble and marred with scars. A large scar started at his right temple and ran down his face to cut off at his jaw, a much smaller scar passed over his left eye, and the final one was a thin line that just cut down over the left corner of his mouth.

Despite the hardships he had endured, his eyes sparkled with happiness at being home as he hugged Beru.

"Where are Luke and Owen?"

"Luke left early this morning with two new droids we bought yesterday. Owen's out in the west quarter."

He kissed his sister-in-law's cheek.

"I'll see Owen then head over to see Obi-Wan before it gets too late. I'll be back for dinner tonight, though."

Beru watched him go. Since he had turned 22, this had become Firmus' way. He had gone to finish his Jedi training with another surviving Jedi Master so as not to bring the Empire's attention to Tatooine, rather being safe than sorry. He had been away for a year that time and returned a new bounty hunter. He had stayed for a few months then left again. This was the longest he had stayed away yet, three years, though he had sent letters and sent some souvenirs for them all.

Firmus raced across the Jundland Wastes for the house he called home and the Jedi Master who awaited his safe return. He entered the house and was pounced on by an exuberant Luke.

"Uncle Firmus!"

"Luke?! What are you doing here?"

Obi-Wan stood, smiling at the reunion.

"I found him not far off chasing a runaway droid."

"You get into some weird adventures, Luke."

Luke smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I wouldn't call them 'adventures'. You're the one who has adventures."

Firmus chuckled as he embraced Obi-Wan.

"I suppose you could call some of them that. Some are just bad or plain weird situations I somehow end up in. Is it a Skywalker gene or a Jinn gene?"

Obi-Wan smiled.

"Both, which makes what you have a rather dangerous mix."

Firmus smiled back and sat down beside his mentor.

"Well that _would_ explain some of the situations I find myself in. I didn't get my scars by walking into doors, after all."

As they later made their way to Mos Espa so Obi-Wan could answer a distress call from the Rebellion, they came upon a group of slaughtered Jawas. Luke recognized the Jawas as the ones that had sold them Artoo and Threepio. Obi-Wan revealed the culprits as stormtroopers, and Luke flung himself into his speeder, racing back towards the homestead.

"Luke! It's too dangerous for you!" Obi-Wan yelled in vain.

He stumbled as Firmus streaked past him on his bike, following Luke.

"Luke! If stormtroopers _are_ there, how much help do you think you'll be?!"

"We can't just do nothing!"

Firmus delved into the Force, stretching out towards the homestead. He jerked violently with a cry, nearly falling off his bike.

"Uncle Firmus!" Luke cried.

They stopped their vehicles.

"What was that? Are you all right?"

"There's nothing for us at the homestead, Luke. I reached out to them with the Force... and felt them die."

Luke turned ashen white.

"They're... they're dead?"

Firmus nodded, also pale. They stayed where they were for a few minutes, mourning Owen and Beru, then returned to Obi-Wan the droids, who were burning the Jawas so that scavengers would not get them.

"I'm sorry. There was nothing either of you could have done. It was too late even as you left," he said gently and sadly.

"I'm going with you to Alderaan, Obi-Wan. I became a bounty hunter to run from the Empire. It's time I stop running and start fighting."

"I want to go, too. There's nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father," Luke said.

Obi-Wan looked at each of them in turn and nodded.

"Then we must go to Mos Eisley and secure passage to Alderaan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys have made their choices and had choices made for them.


	6. To Alderaan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone asks, Firmus missed the message from Leia, so all he knows is that Obi-Wan received a distress call from someone in the Rebellion.

Mos Eisley was full activity as usual. Firmus eyed the stormtroopers all around. A group stopped them and asked about Threepio and Artoo. Immediately, he was on guard. Why did Imperial Stormtroopers care about droids?

"Let me see your identification," the leader said to Luke.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak, but Firmus cut him off.

"You don't need to see his identification."

The aged Master allowed himself a small smile as the troopers fell subject to the mind trick. He and Firmus still thought along many of the same lines, it seemed. They moved on without any trouble, and once out of earshot of the troopers, Obi-Wan began to laugh. Luke shot him a startled look, but he couldn't help it.

"Ben, are you all right? What's so funny?"

"That was aboslutely a Qui-Gon move," Obi-Wan said as he pulled himself together.

Firmus smirked at him.

"A 'Qui-Gon' move? _You_ were about to do it."

"So what if I was? He was, after all, my teacher."

"Why can't we just take your ship, Uncle Firmus?" Luke asked, interrupting their playful yet half-serious bickering.

An embarrassed look crossed his uncle's face.

"Because I don't have one anymore. It blew up, or rather it got blown up. I had to pay someone a lot of money to get back here."

Obi-Wan gave a weary sigh.

"Like you've never had a ship blow up."

"I was fighting a war when it happened to me."

Luke's groan was ignored.

"There's a war going on right now, Ben," Firmus said, careful to use Obi-Wan's alias just in case someone overheard them and recognized his name.

"True, but you're not fighting in it."

"No, but I keep getting caught in it every time I leave."

Artoo whistled loudly.

"Thank you, Artoo. Can we just find someone to take us to Alderaan? While it's usually funny watching you two, now's not really the time."

Firmus and Obi-Wan exchanged looks, and Obi-Wan gave Luke a light swat on the head.

"Mind your elders, Luke," he said, half-teasing, getting out of the speeder.

A grumbling Luke got out as well.

In the cantina, Firmus sat between Luke and Obi-Wan, a drink in hand. He tuned in to Obi-Wan conversation with the Wookie who had approached him. It seemed the Wookie, Chewbacca, had fought alongside Jedi and had personally known Master Yoda. At the mention of his second teacher, Firmus smiled a little.

"You'll be dead!" snapped an unfamiliar voice.

Firmus whirled, reaching for his blaster, his eyes finding the stranger who had just threatened Luke. Obi-Wan's hand grabbed his wrist while his other hand rested protectively on Luke's shoulder.

"This little one's not worth the effort. Let me buy you a drink."

The man flung Luke into a table and drew his blaster. Obi-Wan, however, was quicker, and his lightsaber made short work of both the blaster and his arm. Firmus sat tensely as Obi-Wan glanced around the cantina. Everyone, however, either feared or respected Jedi still, so they all went right back to what they had been doing.

Firmus rose and helped Luke up as Obi-Wan turned back to the Wookie.

"Chewbacca is first mate on a ship that might suit our needs," Obi-Wan said.

They followed Chewbacca over to a table, and a human a few years younger than Firmus sat next to Chewbacca.

"Han Solo. I'm captain of the _Millennium Falcon_. Chewie tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan System."

"That's correct, if it's a fast ship."

Han stared at Obi-Wan for a moment in disbelief.

"Fast ship? You never heard of the _Millennium Falcon_?"

"Should I have?"

Firmus just watched, content to let his mentor handle things.

"She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?"

"Passengers. The three of us, two droids, and no questions asked."

Han smirked at the Jedi.

"You in some kind of trouble?"

"Lets just say we'd like to avoid an Imperial entanglements."

Firmus nearly snorted. That was an understatement.

"Well then it'll cost you extra. Ten thousand, all in advance."

Luke gawked, while Obi-Wan and his uncle didn't bat an eye.

"Ten thousand? We could almost buy our own ship for that?"

"Who's gonna fly it, kid? You?"

"My uncle. He-"

Firmus punched him in the arm.

"Ow!"

"Sh! Let Ben handle this, Luke."

"But-"

Firmus kicked him in the ankle.

"I said be quiet."

Glaring, Luke stopped talking and pointedly ignored his uncle, who rolled his eyes at being given the silent treatment.

"We can give you two thousand now plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan," Obi-Wan said.

Han stared at him for a moment.

"Seventeen huh? You boys got yourself a ship. We'll leave as soon as you're ready. Docking bay ninety-four."

"Ninety-four," Obi-Wan repeated with a nod.

They followed the older man back out of the cantina, and while Obi-Wan and Luke went to sell the speeder, Firmus began searching for Artoo and Threepio, who had wandered off. They reunited on the way to the docking bay, where Luke summed up their thoughts on the _Millennium Falcon_.

"What a piece of junk!"

"She may not be the prettiest thing out there, kid, but she's got it where it counts," Han said.

As they were boarding, a group of troopers arrived and opened fire. It was close shave escaping them and the ships orbiting the planet, but at least they were safely away in hyperspace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they're off for Alderaan.


	7. Death Star

Now safely away, Obi-Wan began teaching Luke the basic lightsaber movements. Firmus found his training remote in his bag and gave it to Obi-Wan for Luke to practice with. The younger man tuned out the lessons as he slipped deep into mediation. The Force was agitated, and it worried him. He knew Obi-Wan could feel it but wasn't letting Luke see that he was being bothered by something.

The Force surged, terror screamed across his senses, then the backlash of billions, possibly trillions, of deaths all at once. He screamed as his mental shields buckled under the weight and force of it all, horror beyond what he had ever felt filling him, a biting cold coming over him. Hands grabbed him, preventing him from falling off the seat as his entire body convulsed from the sudden trauma.

He was unaware of Obi-Wan doubling over nearby with a cry of horror. He was not as effected since he was not deep in the Force like Firmus had been, but whatever happened clearly effected him as well.

"Uncle! Ben! What's going on?!"

"I don't know, kid," came Han's voice, revealing that he was the one hold Firmus up.

Obi-Wan straightened, and Firmus came back to awareness, breathing heavily, covered in a cold sweat.

"Something terrible has happened. Millions of voices cried out in terror then were suddenly silenced, killed. Death creates a backlash in the Force. I've felt wide-scale deaths before, but nothing like that."

"So why was Uncle Firmus effected more?" Luke asked.

Chewie returned and handed Firmus a cup of some liquid the Luke couldn't identify, but his uncle drank it, apparently familiar with whatever it was.

"Chewie get one for the old man, too," Han said.

He gave a wuff sound that apparently passed for an 'okay', or the equivalent of one, and left the room.

"Firmus was more effected because he was deeply immersed in the Force through meditation and felt it more strongly than I did."

Chewie returned and handed Obi-Wan a cup. The Master took it and sipped the liquid, grimacing slightly.

"I never could get used to Corellian wine."

Firmus looked a little less pale as he chuckled softly.

"Continue with your exercises, Luke." Obi-Wan said as he sat down.

Han pulled them out of hyperspace only to find that Alderaan had been completely destroyed. The discovery of a lone TIE Fighter confused Firmus and Obi-Wan, since a ship that small didn't have a hyperdrive.

"He's headed for that small moon," Luke said.

Obi-Wan tensed beside Firmus, making the bounty hunter look at his mentor in confusion and concern.

"That's no moon. It's a space station."

They were caught in a tractor beam, and Han rushed them all to hidden compartments that he used for smuggling. They hid and waited, feeling the _Falcon_ land. Once the footsteps faded away, they cautiously climbed out the compartments and made a plan to sneak off the ship. Obi-Wan volunteered to find and shut down the tractor beam so they could leave.

They made their way to a control room, disguised as stormtroopers. Once Artoo found the power sources to the tractor beams, Obi-Wan left, leaving Firmus with the others. He watched his mentor go then sat down with a sigh.

It was a whirlwind rescue of Princess Leia Organa after that, and the group split up, Firmus going one way to lead away some of the perusing troopers, Han and Chewie chasing a lone trooper off another way, and Luke and Leia running from another group.

Firmus ran, shooting back at his pursuers until he plowed right into Obi-Wan, knocking them both to the floor.

"Firmus?!"

"Sorry."

He scrambled back up the gun down the last two troopers as they rounded the corner then helped Obi-Wan to his feet.

"Where's Luke?"

"I don't know. We got separated after we rescued the princess."

"Leia's here?"

Firmus nodded, and Obi-Wan sighed.

"You'd best find them."

"I would if I knew how to get back to where I was. I took a lot of random turns trying to shake off the troopers."

Obi-Wan shook his head in half exasperation and half fondness.

"You are your father's son."

"Well, between Dad and Anakin, you should be used to this then."

He dodged the swing aimed at his head by the older Jedi, chuckling.

"Come on. Lets see if we can find our way back to the _Falcon_ without running into anymore 'friends'. I'm tired of being shot at."

They made their way through the maze of halls, Obi-Wan leading the way, using the Force as a guide to the right way. A presence in the Force, steeped in darkness and a cold hatred made them pause.

"Obi-Wan, do you feel that?" Firmus asked, shivering slightly.

"It's Vader."

The younger man swallowed anxiously. He had no desire to ever face his brother again. Obi-Wan reached across the bond they had, sending a feeling of comfort and reassurance to his former student.

"Can we avoid him?"

"No. He knows we're here, or at least that I'm here. He is between us and the ship."

Firmus's face was grim, but he followed Obi-Wan towards the hangar and the Sith Lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took longer than I thought it would. I apologize. I will re-watch the Original Trilogy again as I do need to follow along the movies as well as taking the characters out of the films.


	8. Vader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry about the wait. This chapter did NOT want to be written, and then my laptop gave out.

Vader waited near the hangar bay. He could sense Obi-Wan and another powerful presence approaching. The second presence was familiar, yet he couldn't place it. It didn't matter as he would soon see the person. As if summoned by his thoughts, they rounded the corner. For a moment Vader wondered if he'd lost his mind. Beside Obi-Wan stood a man the Sith had very briefly thought to be Qui-Gon Jinn.

He mentally kicked himself. Qui-Gon was dead, he had been dead for over thirty years. This man was much too young to be Qui-Gon. The late Jedi Master had also been much taller and broader in stature. This man was hardly Obi-Wan's height, nowhere near Qui-Gon's towering frame. He was slimmer with a more athletic build rather than the broad, toned muscle Jinn had possessed. His face was scarred yet still pleasant, with brown eyes.

The Force surged when Vader met the younger man's gaze, a mental link snapped into place though it was weak, formed by blood rather than a true relationship, and then it all made sense. Vader knew who this man was.

"I should have known you would train him, Obi-Wan. It seems I should have taken him and trained himself."

"So why didn't you?" Firmus heard himself ask.

"The Emperor forbid it."

"That's not the only reason, Darth. You didn't come for Firmus because you didn't want a reminder of your past, yet because of his mother, _your_ mother, you could not destroy him either," Obi-Wan said.

Vader's silence only confirmed it. He had left Firmus alone to avoid the fact that he was a reminder of Shmi and Qui-Gon, of his past, and of Anakin.

"Well, sorry to inconvenience you, but they say the past comes back to haunt you. You can't run from it, it's a part of you."

The Dark Lord said nothing as he activated his lightsaber. Obi-Wan and Firmus switched on their own blades and readied themselves for the fight to come. Vader went for Obi-Wan, thinking that his former Master's age would hinder him. Obi-Wan, having kept himself in fighting condition due to training Firmus then continuing to practice after he'd left, was able to outmaneuver his former apprentice.

"Did you forget that even at eighty Count Dooku was able to beat us a number of times? Age has not hindered me as it did not him."

Vader growled but was forced back by Firmus charging in, faster that Obi-Wan. While the cyborg could use the Force to compensate for speed, if they moved into acrobatics he would be at a disadvantage, and the corridors of the Death Star were large enough to allow flips and the like. The fight moved down the hall towards the hangar, where they caught the attention of the stormtroopers guarding the captured _Millennium Falcon_.

Obi-Wan risked a glance towards the ship, Firmus pressing Vader so the Sith couldn't take advantage of his momentary distraction.

"Firmus!"

Together they Force Pushed Vader into the wall and ran, Firmus keeping close to the edge of the doorway. An instant later Vader found out why he did so. His younger brother swung his lightsaber back, destroying the door controls and causing the door the shut due to the damage and consequent malfunction.

The two Jedi cut down the troopers and hurried aboard the ship. They escaped into hyperspace, headed for the Rebel Base on Yavin.

Luke entered the sitting room from the gun-turret to see his uncle and mentor speaking quietly with one another, their faces grave. He made his way to the cockpit, knowing it would was best to leave them to their conversation.

"You know you can't go back to being a bounty hunter. Vader has seen your power, and he will try to turn you to the Darkside to use it to his advantage."

"I know. I didn't plan to leave again. I plan to join the Rebellion and take a stand against the Empire. I knew I couldn't stay neutral forever. I just wish I hadn't been forced into action like this, at the expense of Owen and Beru."

Obi-Wan gave his former student's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"They would not have remained safe forever, either, Firmus. Vader would have found out you were fighting with the Rebellion anyway and had them killed as a message to you, or if he didn't the Emperor would."

Firmus sighed.

"I know. The only good thing is that Luke was with us and survived."

Obi-Wan nodded, though it was a hollow comfort. Even he felt pain at the murders of Owen and Beru. He and Owen had never gotten along that well, but they had still looked out for one another, connected through Firmus and Luke. He, too, wished that the choice for the two Skywalkers to leave with him had come at the price of their lives.

"Every life is just another notch in his lightsaber, another stain upon his soul. That... _thing..._ is not my brother, not anymore. We can't hold back again, Obi-Wan. We can't afford to. Vader must fall before we can take down the Emperor and tear down the Empire," Firmus said, breaking through his mentor's gloomy thoughts.

"You're right. Anakin is no more, and Vader cannot be allowed to continue his path of destruction and terror if we are to have a chance of winning this war and bringing back peace."

Brown eyes met grey-blue one, both filled with grim determination.

"Then we agree. Vader must die."


End file.
